The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-12-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAs,.INS ros, OEs. 2s, lSS

! Editor Herald:
! Washington, including every thing from
the United States senate to the peanut
vender, is crazed with Christmas Pro-
baby should have excepted the presi-
dent. His two hundred and fifty pounds
of avoirdupois compel him to preserve an
apparently steady head, and his weight
ofcare and responsibility for the welfare
of sixty millions Of people would ratur-
ally make ali days and seasons alike to.
him.
| The city is rapidly donning its holiday
attire. Evergreen wreathes and garlauds
fessoon butchers stalls and the homes Of
the rich, and Christmas trees of all sizes
and prices are here in abundance from the
Maryland and Virginia hills, and from
the forests of Pennsylvania and far off
Maine. The shop windows are dazzling
with every description of tempting nler-
chandise, aud Oh! the shoppers that
throng the sidewalks, especially tired,
worried, nervous women of all ages and
sizes and compilations and conditions, of
every degree of prettiness and ugliness.
How they push and jostle and squeeze
and exclaim! They would drop down
and expire before they would give it up
and go home.
At no time is there any lack of talk in
congress about the surplus, nor any lack
of surplus talk, for that matter, but reg
t1larly once a year, in either end of the
capitol, a deal of surplus eloquence is ex-
pended on one particular subject; namely,
the holiday recess. It is surplus talk, al
ways, because after every argument that
has ever been made against the Christ
mas vacation, congress has invariably
enjoyed that luxury and will continue to
do so.
This time the discussion was in the SEN
ate, and the junior senator from Kansas,
Mr.. Plumb, took the floor in opposition
to any holiday making. He said this
was the time of year for congress to
work. He didn't want any holidays.
The recess was taken ostensibly to allow
senator's and representatives to go to
their homes, when not one in ten of them
would go. Mr.. Plumb then launched in
to a political speech n which he criticized
the financial policy of the president,
charging that the surplus trouble was
due to the fact that the president disre-
garded the law which required HIM prac-
tically to spend the surplus in the pur-
chase of the national debt. He made
long speech, and was followed by Sena-
| tor Beck of Kentucky, who undertook to
demolish all that had been said by show
! ing that it was the policy of the republi-
can party which made it impossible to-
day for the secretary Of the treasury to
! redeem any of the four-and-a-half bonds
without paying the holders whatever
| premium they might charge.
The next senator to indorse the course
| of the administration was Vest, of Mis-
souri,. He said he was prepared to go
into the canvass upon the presidents
| message If Mr.. Cleveland had done
nothing more than write that message,
it proved him to be au honest, brave, pa
triotic man, worthy of the leadership of
any party that ever existed in the history
of this country. r.. 80
Senators Teller and Stewart then made
long speeches echoing the political se;lti-
:nents of Mr.. Plumb, wllereupon Senator
Butler OF Carolina, who had already ex-
pressed Impotence at listening to what
he termed stump speeches, arose and de-
clared disgust at what he called the idle,
Aitnsy, shallow, hypocritical lunbuggery
against the holiday recess.
| Here the senator from Kansas lost his
temper and wanted to know by what
authority the senator from South Caro-
lima posed as public censor. The latter
repudiated the title and Mr.. Plumb sug-
gested another-common scold.
The atmosphere of the senate chamber.
was getting hot and Senator Sherman on
the republican side arose with his rigid
smile, in the character of pcacemaker.
He satisfied Senator Plumb by saying
the debate was not hurnbug at all, but
very interesting, and he pleased Senator
Butler by agreeing with him that the hol-
iiay ought to be taken, and also in the
use OF the word humbug with this differ
ence, he said the presidents message was
the humbug.) After the pouring of this
Oil upon the troubled waters serenity
again reigned and the Senate voted to
adjourn until after New Year.
A case of "spedalslzhed'' has been dis
covered near Sank Centre. The afflicted
party is q woman, and the symptoms are